Halloween Safety Tips for Kids
When spending some Halloween time with your little (or not-so-little) witches and wizards, ghosts and ghouls, pixies and pirates this year, you’ve no doubt considered how to maximize fun AND stay safe, right? Whether you’re trick-or-treating or staying at home, here are some tips for keeping kids safe and happy!
Out & About
Consider adding reflective tape to your child’s costume so they can be easily spotted. This is especially important if you’re trick-or-treating on a busier road or road without sidewalks. Your child could also carry a flashlight or glow sticks if the costume doesn’t necessarily call for reflective tape!
Purchase flashlights for yourself as well. This makes keeping an eye on your kid much easier without using the bright, slightly harsher flashlight from your phone. Be sure that you’re mostly pointing it to the ground and away from people’s eyes!
For smaller children, hats and make-up are great alternatives to masks. Not only can masks obstruct their vision, but it could prevent you from figuring out which little one is yours if multiple children are wearing the same mask on the same route.
If you have older kids, make sure they’re not trick-or-treating alone and designate a time for them to return home. It’s also important that they have access to a phone in the event of an emergency.
Include a tag on your child’s costume that has your name and number. This way, if they get lost, they can refer to it with an adult. In this sense, make sure they know which adults to approach and which to avoid. An adult passing out candy on a well-lit doorstep is a safe bet, as they’ll have immediate access to a phone and location for you to meet them. Avoid any strangers that are alone or not around a group of people!
At Home
If you’re staying behind to pass candy out to kids, one way to keep them all safe is to make access to your home easy. Clear away anything that could cause them to trip, such as toys, garden hoses, or lawn decorations. Keep your doorway well-lit as well so they know to come up to the door and can see clearly!
At the end of the night, be sure you’re overlooking the “examining” process–that is, when your child dumps their goodies out on the living room floor, make sure their candy isn’t already opened, spoiled, or dangerous. Even if you trust your neighborhood, you never know what you’ll find so it’s always best to stay alert!
